news-record.com

DURHAM — The message scrawled in magic marker on a strip of athletic tape and pasted across the forehead of the Blue Devil mascot was direct and to the point.

"Nolan's In, 49er's Out."

Not exactly Shakespearean iambic pentameter, but accurate.

Junior guard Nolan Smith scored a game-high 24 points and dished out five assists in his return to Duke's starting lineup, leading the No. 9 Blue Devils to a 101-59 victory over Charlotte in the second round of the NIT Tip-Off at Cameron Indoor Stadium on Tuesday.

Jon Scheyer shared point guard duty with Smith and finished with 20 points and five assists. Kyle Singler — who played some at shooting guard, small forward and power forward — shot 3-for-4 from 3-point range and scored 17 points.

"They're really good basketball players," Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski said. "I love our team, but our perimeter guys are like brothers. They know the game. They don't care who gets the shot. ... The three of them had 61 points, and that's a pretty good night."

In other words, they outscored Charlotte (2-1) by themselves. The 49ers got 20 points from big Shamari Spears down low, but star guard Dijuan Harris had just three points and two assists against Duke's swarming perimeter defense.

"Nolan coming back, he changes the dynamics of their team," Charlotte coach Bobby Lutz said. "They actually weren't pushing the ball nearly as much. &ellipses; They're good without him, but it allowed them to get back into their more comfortable positions. He makes them a just a much better team, a quicker team, a team that can drive the ball better."

Smith, who was suspended for the first two games for playing in a non-sanctioned summer league, played a game-high 32 minutes. And Duke (3-0) was a different team with him in uniform.

Smith scored eight points during a 17-4 scoring run over the first 4 minutes. Scheyer had two layups and two assists during the spurt, and Singler finished it with a 3-pointer.

"I was definitely itching to play after sitting for two games and watching my team play," Smith said. "I was really getting anxious to finally get back out there. My motor was running."

By halftime, it was over. Smith had 16 points, and Scheyer and Singler had 12 apiece as the Blue Devils led 57-27. They outscored Charlotte 21-2 in points off turnovers, and 12-0 on the fast break.

"These guys are happy to be together again. Those three guys on the perimeter are the strength of our basketball team," Krzyzewski said. "&ellipses; It spreads the court, because you've got three perimeter guys. You have to guard everybody, and good players like to have a little more space so they can create a little bit more."

Duke wasn't bad in the low post, either. Miles Plumlee, a 6-foot-10 sophomore forward, scored 15 points and grabbed 11 rebounds, and 7-footer Brian Zoubek finished with 13 rebounds and nine points.

It was the first career double-double for Plumlee, who played sparingly last season and is clearly Duke's most improved player. Among his points were three athletic dunks, including a breakaway off his own steal near midcourt and another on a lob pass from Scheyer on a pick-and-roll play.

NOTE: Shamarr Bowden, a redshirt freshman from Greensboro, scored five points off the bench for Charlotte. Bowden, who played three seasons at Grimsley before transferring to a prep school, was the Atlantic-10 rookie of the week after scoring 21 points in 11 minutes in his collegiate debut against UNC-Asheville last week.

Contact Jeff Mills at 373-7024 or jeff.mills@news-record.com

CHARLOTTE (2-1) — Spears 6-16 7-8 20, Jones 1-3 1-2 3, Green 2-8 0-2 4, Harris 1-4 1-2 3, Coleman 1-4 0-0 2, Barnett 0-0 0-0 0, Sherrill 0-2 3-4 3, Parks 1-1 0-0 2, Andersen 1-2 0-0 3, Lewis 1-1 0-0 3, Church 0-1 0-0 0, Sirin 2-5 0-0 5, Bowden 1-6 2-2 5, Dewhurst 0-1 0-0 0, Braswell 3-5 0-1 6. Totals 20-59 14-21 59.

DUKE (3-0) — Singler 5-12 4-6 17, Mi.Plumlee 7-11 1-2 15, Thomas 0-2 1-2 1, Smith 9-15 4-4 24, Scheyer 7-13 2-4 20, Czyz 2-3 0-0 5, Dawkins 1-4 2-2 5, Kelly 2-3 0-0 5, Davidson 0-0 0-0 0, Johnson 0-0 0-0 0, Peters 0-0 0-0 0, Zoubek 4-7 1-4 9. Totals 37-70 15-24 101.

Halftime—Duke 57-27.
3-Point Goals—Charlotte 5-21 (Lewis 1-1, Andersen 1-2, Sirin 1-2, Spears 1-3, Bowden 1-6, Church 0-1, Coleman 0-2, Green 0-4), Duke 12-21 (Scheyer 4-7, Singler 3-4, Smith 2-3, Czyz 1-2, Kelly 1-2, Dawkins 1-3).
Fouled Out—None.
Rebounds—Charlotte 34 (Braswell 9), Duke 46 (Zoubek 13).
Assists—Charlotte 6 (Green, Harris 2), Duke 21 (Scheyer, Smith 5).
Total Fouls—Charlotte 20, Duke 18.
A—9,314.